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Hrabal’s book "I served the King of England" makes working in a restaurant sound very dramatic, and very glamorous. But the novel also suggests that such drama and glamour belong to a time now long gone. To find out whether this was true, I visited two of Prague’s most famous restaurants, to talk to their owners about their work from day-to-day.

It is early on a Friday morning, the air is freezing and there is no sign of the sun in the sky. Yet, the creaky old Karosa bus heading towards Krkonoše or Giant Mountains is almost full when I arrive at the bus station. Many people from Prague have taken their day off in order to enjoy some snow. Unlike most of my fellow travellers, I am not heading towards the ski slopes and racing tracks. My destination is the little town of Jilemnice, crouching at the foothills of the Giant Mountains in north Bohemia. Jilemnice was one of the very first skiing

Spotlight this week comes from the town of Pardubice, which lies about an hour away from Prague in east Bohemia. The pretty Renaissance buildings on the main square Pernstynovo namesti and the impressive chateau nearby give an indication of Pardubice’s long and rich history, which saw it evolve from a prosperous hamlet in the Middle Ages to an industrial powerhouse by the start of the 20th century.

The Lucerna Palace, long considered a beacon of Czech national pride has been celebrating its centenary this year without too much of the fanfare usually reserved for such occasions.Situated off Wenceslas Square in the very heart of Prague, and established by civil engineer, designer and builder Vasclav M. Havel in 1907, it was the first multi-purpose arcade of its kind ever to be built in this country.

It’s a bit of a grey day here in Dvur Kralove. About the brightest thing I have seen so far is a café called Santorini, which has a picture of Greece in its window. But, there is more to Dvur Kralove, I have been told, than first meets the eye, and I am on my way to the zoo to find out.

Surrounded by railway sidings and industrial estates, it's easy to get the impression that Kolin is simply a town travellers pass through on the way from the Czech capital to the nearby tourist-friendly Kutna Hora. Nevertheless, anyone who gets off the train in Kolin and takes the trouble to walk the short distance past the factories and business parks to the city centre will find that it is a place worth visiting.

A well-known 19th century student song sings about Putimska brana - one of the three historic gates in the town walls around Pisek. Only a remnant of the gate is preserved to this day and the town has long expanded beyond its medieval defensive walls.

It is mostly because of disagreements with the Czech Republic's fiercely anti-nuclear neighbour Austria that the South Bohemian nuclear power plant Temelin is so often mentioned in the Czech media, including Radio Prague. For this week's Spotlight, I travelled to Temelin to see the site for myself and to speak to Milan Musak, the plant's Communication Department Head.

If you want to see something else than just another historical sight crowded with tourists, visit the north Bohemian town of Ceska Lipa about two hours drive from Prague to get a more genuine taste of the Czech Republic. Ceska Lipa suffered a similar fate as many other towns in the border region and reflects very well the turbulent post-war development of the country. For those who prefer nature to history, there is also plenty to see.

Hradec Kralove lies on the spectacular confluence of the Elbe and Orlice Rivers, about 100 km east of Prague. This extraordinarily pretty town boasts a rich architectural heritage, especially in its historical quarter where handsome renaissance buildings testify to the wealth and status the town enjoyed thanks to the trade that used to pass through en route to Silesia.